Singapore Local News, 2011-09-07

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Expat teens, including boy, 13, nabbed in CNB raid A 13-year-old expatriate boy was one of several foreign teenagers arrested by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), today, for allegedly consuming drugs. The child was the youngest of 17 people nabbed. The oldest was 37......     SP Powergrid security questioned after burglar's eight-year crime spree For eight years, a general worker managed to break into more than 200 SP Powergrid substations islandwide to steal copper earth bars. Tan Hong Thow would then sell off his loot, worth at least S$27,000 to a second-hand scrap metal........ Improving TFR alone won't help Singapore's population: IPS Even if Singapore improved on its Total Fertility Rate (TFR), its population would still decline if it did not accept enough migrants. This is the finding of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) on the state of Singapore's........ Three Malaysian-registered vehicles found with illegal cigarettes: ICA The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority seized a total of 5,025 cartons of contraband cigarettes from three Malaysian-registered vehicles over a two-day period, this week. Five men aged between 21 and 47 years old were handed over........ Almost half of world's computer software used is illegal Nearly half the world's personal computer users (47 per cent) acquire software through illegal means most or all of the time. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) says the figure is much higher in developing countries...... Social service sector needs to change: MCYS To encourage the social service sector to keep innovating and revitalising itself, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) introduced "The NCSS Pitch", today, at this year's members' conference. Five short-listed finalists........ New way of treating breast cancer found Scientists in Singapore have found a new way to target an enzyme to treat an aggressive form of breast cancer. The discovery by the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) has been........ More quality local content, please: PACE In its 13th report released today by the Programme Advisory Committee for English Programmes (PACE), the committee urged broadcasters to produce more quality local content, and reminded them to protect young audiences from unsuitable........ Economy to expand by 5.3% this year: MAS survey The Singapore economy is expected to expand at a slower rate, this year, according to a Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) survey of 20 economists and analysts. MAS said, today, these forecasters expect the economy to grow by 5.3........

PM Lee nominates Michael Palmer to be next Speaker of Parliament In the May General Election, he was the PAP's first minority candidate to stand in a Single-Member Constituency since 1988, when Mr Abdullah Tarmugi won in Siglap with 74 per cent of the vote. Yesterday, Mr Michael Palmer, the........     Man who stole copper earth bars jailed A district court heard on Wednesday that a general worker had managed to break into more than 200 SP Powergrid substations islandwide since 2003, to steal items known as copper earth bars...... ACCORD helps MINDEF gain fresh perspectives The defence ministry has been able to sharpen its understanding of public sentiments and better focus its efforts on important issues of concern through its outreach efforts...... Science Centre S'pore, UNESCO launch STEEL initiative Science Centre Singapore is working with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to help build science and technology competencies of teachers and students in Southeast Asia...... September COE prices mixed The first COE bidding exercise for the month of September has ended mixed. COEs fell in the big car, open, and goods vehicles and bus categories...... Some 5,000 contraband cigarettes seized at Woodlands Checkpoint Some 5,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes were seized at the Woodlands Checkpoint in the last two days...... Range, quality of English broadcast content see improvement The Programme Advisory Committee for English Programmes (PACE) said range and quality of English broadcast content in Singapore have improved in the past two years...... Govt seeks views on climate change issues The government is embarking on a series of public consultations to get feedback on climate change related issues...... NCSS encourages social service sector to innovate The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) introduced "The NCSS Pitch" on Wednesday to encourage the social service sector to keep innovating and revitalising itself...... Low fertility rate, no in-migration will lead to S'pore's population decline Singapore's resident population will decline and become extremely aged if the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is extremely low and if there is no in-migration...... New ways to treat aggressive breast cancer found by Singapore scientists Singapore: New insights to treat a type of breast cancer that is aggressive and unresponsive to current forms of treatment have been found by scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and National University of Singapore (NUS)...... Improve communication skills in healthcare sector: Amy Khor Improving communication skills among healthcare providers is necessary to ensure that the healthcare standards and services in Singapore are kept high......